koffeegod-1
Joined Jan 2006
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Reviews3
koffeegod-1's rating
I'm surprised by the negative reviews of this film. It is really cleverly written and well acted considering the no-name actors and the obviously low budget. If you're a fan of Christopher Guest-style mockumentaries then you'll certainly like this one.
If you've ever worked at a tech start up, this movie is a must see. The self-important egotism and naiveté of the movie's fictional 20-something founders is brilliantly portrayed. The abundant use of corporate-speak and techno-jargon is as irritatingly accurate as it is amusing. This film is as much a commentary on the mindless investment mania of the late nineties as it is a hilarious portrait of the self-entitled young business folk who think "???" equals profit.
If you've ever worked at a tech start up, this movie is a must see. The self-important egotism and naiveté of the movie's fictional 20-something founders is brilliantly portrayed. The abundant use of corporate-speak and techno-jargon is as irritatingly accurate as it is amusing. This film is as much a commentary on the mindless investment mania of the late nineties as it is a hilarious portrait of the self-entitled young business folk who think "???" equals profit.
First, let me tell you what this show is NOT - classic, hard science fiction in the style of Star Trek. Instead, it is more of a soft or social science fiction with the storyline driven less by whiz-bang advanced technology and exotic alien species and more by character relationships and societal dilemmas. Those who desire the former should look elsewhere.
Additionally, hard-core fans of the original series may be disappointed by the "reimagining" of a beloved show. Unlike ST:TNG, there is little attempt to conform to the original. When they say reimagined, they mean almost literally from the ground up. With the exception of names and places, and a few stylistic nods, the new BSG is a completely unique take on a sci-fi classic and should be viewed as such.
Stylistically, the show combines cutting edge special effects for the outer space scenes with a more modern-day or near future expression of technology for the rest of the scenes. Items such as clothing, cars and appliances such as those you would find in modern times coexist with more advanced technologies such as FTL (faster-than-light travel) and artificial gravity. The juxtaposition of these two style elements leads to a final product that is both slightly exotic, yet tantalizingly familiar. Obviously, there are more practical reasons for doing this as well - mainly preserving a fixed special effects budget for the space battles. In this regard, I believe the show's creators made a wise decision because the space scenes are nothing short of breathtaking.
Some critics view this as a cop-out or shortcut. I disagree. First, the advanced technology is pretty much limited to those two things I mentioned before - FTL travel and artificial gravity. The show makes no attempt to explain how these technologies work and it appears they exist only to advance the story lines. It would be very distracting to see people floating around inside of their spaceships and the time-scales necessary to traverse even intra-solar distances at sub-light speeds would be far too limiting.
Overlooking these things is the price of admission, as it were. Fans of hard sci-fi may find these plot devices irksome or simply the result of lazy or cheap producers. However, this would be ignoring the very real limitations of producing a weekly cable series of such uncommonly high quality. As I mentioned earlier, these plot devices exist to further the plot, not the other way around. Where this show really shines, and the reason that it has garnered critical acclaim, is because of the interaction between complex characters and their involvement in social situations that we the viewer can intimately relate to. Watching Captain Kirk defeat the Klingon destroyer by engaging the Omega-6 device might make for good escapist fiction. But watching a society deal with an issue such as abortion in a time where the very survival of the species rests upon their ability and willingness to reproduce as quickly and as often as possible forces deeper thought and makes the story far more compelling. What would I do in such a situation, you often find yourself asking. This is the allure of BSG that gets lost by those looking for simple popcorn sci-fi action adventure.
Each character in BSG is a richly detailed and unique personality, expressing all of the virtues and flaws that we recognize in ourselves. Their development occurs in a continuum, gradually changing and shifting as they experience new, often cataclysmic events. It is this dynamic nature - where a wide-eyed, innocent rookie in season 1 can become a bitter and cynical veteran by season 3 - that keeps viewers coming back for more.
Another reason that the show is so popular is due to its portrayal of female characters as strong individuals who are both deeply flawed and imminently noble. The character of Caprica-6 - a beautiful and statuesque blonde cyborg - exists not merely as eye candy for oversexed males between 15 and 40. Instead, she is a deeply cunning, manipulative antagonist who struggles with conflicting emotions and a flawed sense of morality.
Another bright spot is the character of Laura Roslin, the Colonial President. She begins the series as a low-level bureaucrat fighting a terminal illness who suddenly finds herself thrust into a leadership role she may not even want. Her ability to forget her own problems and rise to the challenge is inspiring. But it is when this former school teacher is forced to make life and death decisions, often with little more than a few minutes to weight the choices and with the survival of the human race hanging in the balance, that we truly get a sense of the depth of her character.
Much like "Lost", BSG is another story-arc-heavy series. Events and situations are rarely if ever resolved in a single episode and subplots may carry over across many episodes if not seasons. This can make entry difficult for new fans. Given that the series was originally slated for 4 seasons, and they have now completed the 3rd, it is highly recommended that new viewers take the time to catch up by renting or buying the first 3 seasons.
I originally approached this series with a heavy dose of skepticism, being merely a casual viewer of the original series and no great fan of the SciFi Channel in general. I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I became enthralled by the storyline and characters. The writing is smart, the acting is cinema-worthy and the setting and circumstances are epic. The show's creators did a masterful job of marrying classic sci-fi themes and eye-popping special effects with complex, engaging characters interacting intelligently. A perfect blend of science fiction and drama that shouldn't be missed.
Additionally, hard-core fans of the original series may be disappointed by the "reimagining" of a beloved show. Unlike ST:TNG, there is little attempt to conform to the original. When they say reimagined, they mean almost literally from the ground up. With the exception of names and places, and a few stylistic nods, the new BSG is a completely unique take on a sci-fi classic and should be viewed as such.
Stylistically, the show combines cutting edge special effects for the outer space scenes with a more modern-day or near future expression of technology for the rest of the scenes. Items such as clothing, cars and appliances such as those you would find in modern times coexist with more advanced technologies such as FTL (faster-than-light travel) and artificial gravity. The juxtaposition of these two style elements leads to a final product that is both slightly exotic, yet tantalizingly familiar. Obviously, there are more practical reasons for doing this as well - mainly preserving a fixed special effects budget for the space battles. In this regard, I believe the show's creators made a wise decision because the space scenes are nothing short of breathtaking.
Some critics view this as a cop-out or shortcut. I disagree. First, the advanced technology is pretty much limited to those two things I mentioned before - FTL travel and artificial gravity. The show makes no attempt to explain how these technologies work and it appears they exist only to advance the story lines. It would be very distracting to see people floating around inside of their spaceships and the time-scales necessary to traverse even intra-solar distances at sub-light speeds would be far too limiting.
Overlooking these things is the price of admission, as it were. Fans of hard sci-fi may find these plot devices irksome or simply the result of lazy or cheap producers. However, this would be ignoring the very real limitations of producing a weekly cable series of such uncommonly high quality. As I mentioned earlier, these plot devices exist to further the plot, not the other way around. Where this show really shines, and the reason that it has garnered critical acclaim, is because of the interaction between complex characters and their involvement in social situations that we the viewer can intimately relate to. Watching Captain Kirk defeat the Klingon destroyer by engaging the Omega-6 device might make for good escapist fiction. But watching a society deal with an issue such as abortion in a time where the very survival of the species rests upon their ability and willingness to reproduce as quickly and as often as possible forces deeper thought and makes the story far more compelling. What would I do in such a situation, you often find yourself asking. This is the allure of BSG that gets lost by those looking for simple popcorn sci-fi action adventure.
Each character in BSG is a richly detailed and unique personality, expressing all of the virtues and flaws that we recognize in ourselves. Their development occurs in a continuum, gradually changing and shifting as they experience new, often cataclysmic events. It is this dynamic nature - where a wide-eyed, innocent rookie in season 1 can become a bitter and cynical veteran by season 3 - that keeps viewers coming back for more.
Another reason that the show is so popular is due to its portrayal of female characters as strong individuals who are both deeply flawed and imminently noble. The character of Caprica-6 - a beautiful and statuesque blonde cyborg - exists not merely as eye candy for oversexed males between 15 and 40. Instead, she is a deeply cunning, manipulative antagonist who struggles with conflicting emotions and a flawed sense of morality.
Another bright spot is the character of Laura Roslin, the Colonial President. She begins the series as a low-level bureaucrat fighting a terminal illness who suddenly finds herself thrust into a leadership role she may not even want. Her ability to forget her own problems and rise to the challenge is inspiring. But it is when this former school teacher is forced to make life and death decisions, often with little more than a few minutes to weight the choices and with the survival of the human race hanging in the balance, that we truly get a sense of the depth of her character.
Much like "Lost", BSG is another story-arc-heavy series. Events and situations are rarely if ever resolved in a single episode and subplots may carry over across many episodes if not seasons. This can make entry difficult for new fans. Given that the series was originally slated for 4 seasons, and they have now completed the 3rd, it is highly recommended that new viewers take the time to catch up by renting or buying the first 3 seasons.
I originally approached this series with a heavy dose of skepticism, being merely a casual viewer of the original series and no great fan of the SciFi Channel in general. I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I became enthralled by the storyline and characters. The writing is smart, the acting is cinema-worthy and the setting and circumstances are epic. The show's creators did a masterful job of marrying classic sci-fi themes and eye-popping special effects with complex, engaging characters interacting intelligently. A perfect blend of science fiction and drama that shouldn't be missed.
